Modika
Therapist & Life Coach
Akiba's Founder
Before stepping onto this path, my life had no direction and meaning. I had lost connection with the Christian tradition, which left me feeling empty. In my twenties, that emptiness was filled with addiction. I struggled in many areas of my life, without understanding how to change them or where to find balance.
In 2013 what some would call a spiritual awakening marked the beginning of a path I continue to walk today. Soon after, I met Rosendo, a Marakame from the Wixarika tradition in Mexico. Through him, I discovered Hikuri (Peyote) and began assisting him in ceremonies across Europe. His simplicity, humbleness, and connection to ancestral knowledge had a profound impact on me. This encounter opened the door to a deeper exploration of traditional medicines and indigenous knowledge.
In 2016, I attended a gathering in Panama where I met several traditional healers. Among them, the Bwiti tradition from Gabon stood out through Marie-Claire Eyang and her husband Christophe Mathelin. It was there that I experienced my first Iboga ceremony, an encounter that marked a turning point in my life and revealed a path I would later fully commit to.
In 2018, I traveled to Gabon to undergo an initiation into the Bwiti tradition at Marie Claire’s village. This experience remains one of the most significant moments of my life.
Over the following years, I continued to travel regularly to Gabon, assisting in ceremonies and deepening my Bwiti practice. I also gained some experience with other traditions and medicines from the amazon.
From 2021 to 2025, I have been fully dedicated to accompanying individuals at the Russian speaking Aluna Retreats center in many ceremonies with different traditions.
These experiences and the necessity to focus solely on the Bwiti path led me to the creation of Akiba Traditional Therapies in 2025, a space solely focus on the Bwiti tradition and its many benefits. It is a continuation of my own path, where I now offer you the framework and guidance that supported my transformation.
To this day I have participated in more than 70 retreats and supported hundreds of people through a wide range of situations: addiction, emotional struggles, and deep existential questions. Through this work, I have witnessed profound transformations, as well as the challenges that come with them, because facing yourself with honesty, to understand who you are to live with clarity and balance, is not something easy nor quick
Today, my work is to guide people with the help of the Bwiti tradition, supporting them in reconnecting with themselves, and in finding a more peaceful and harmonious way of living.
Pindi
Nganga (Traditional healer)
Pindi, his initiation name, was born into a family deeply rooted in Bwiti Fang, more specifically within the Dissumba Assumgha Ening branch.
At the age of 7, he underwent his very first initiation, a foundational moment that marked the beginning of a singular inner path. This experience revealed to him the true potential of his mind and awakened a deep conviction: the need to learn, understand, and embody his tradition.
From an early age, he understood that Bwiti is not limited to its visible and cultural expressions, music, dance, and song, but is rooted in an intimate relationship with nature and the invisible world.
Over the years, Pindi developed many abilities. He became a skilled traditional musician, capable of carrying and transmitting the energy of rituals through sound. He also acquired the ability to lead ceremonies, gradually taking on a guiding role within his community. At the same time, he deepened his knowledge of the forest, learning to recognize and use various healing trees, grounding his practice in a living relationship with the natural world.
At the age of 22, driven by a deep thirst for knowledge, he was initiated into another path of Bwiti: Missoko, more specifically within the Ngondèt rite. This transition felt natural, almost self-evident, as this branch had always been part of his environment, particularly through elders who were already initiated into it.
This initiation marked a turning point. It brought him a profound sense of balance, reconciling a duality he had long carried between these two branches of Bwiti. Where he once felt divided, he now found a sense of inner unity.
Today recognized as a nganga, Pindi draws upon the teachings of these two paths. Although they may appear different on the surface, he understands them as deeply complementary, forming one and the same essence.
He chooses to practice them with rigor and respect, in a distinct manner, without blending them — an essential discipline to preserve their balance and the integrity of the energies they carry.
From this dual initiation emerges a vast field of possibilities: in healing, therapeutic practices, well-being, and spiritual awakening. His path embodies a living transmission, at the crossroads of worlds — between tradition, experience, and inner knowledge.
Mabondo
Maboundi (Sacred Femenine)
Born in Gabon, Mabondo grew up immersed in the ancestral Bwiti tradition, passed down by her parents (Bwiti Fang) and elders (Missoko).
She was introduced to sacred songs, dances, and rituals, which she had the honor of sharing around the world with the family troupe Mbeng-Ntam.
Today, she accompanies women on a path of reconnection, healing, and awakening through N'zimba and Hindo rituals. She opens sacred spaces to connect with lineage, free expression, strengthen self-confidence, and celebrate feminine power.
N'zimba is a ceremony of connection to ancestors, liberation of speech, and inner alignment, carried through sacred sounds, song, and dance.
Hindo is a sacred women’s circle offering a space for sharing, transmission, and collective healing through women’s voices and songs.